Inside the quiet room.
Zhou Hao took out a High-Grade Origin Stone from the Mustard Stone Space, closed his eyes, and sat cross-legged, preparing to cultivate his newly acquired Qi Refining technique, the Water Source Sutra.
The Mustard Stone he had obtained from Motai Jie had already been given to Iron Ox, along with the Dog-Head Gold and Thunder Gold inside it. The one Zhou Hao was using now had come from killing Yuan Lie.
As a peak Xiantian expert, Yuan Lie had a Mustard Stone Space several times larger than Motai Jie's. He had also carried far more Origin Stones and Thunder Gold. He alone had sixteen High-Grade Origin Stones.
Even Cao Rong, a commander in the Xiantian Battalion, could only collect one High-Grade Origin Stone a month. The company and platoon leaders beneath him could go a whole year without collecting even one.
"Tomorrow is the Green Flood Dragon Army's martial arts tournament. If I want to improve my strength, it all depends on whether my Qi Refining can break through tonight."
Now that the Chiming Nine Heavens Map had reached the fourth level and he had entered the Xiantian realm, all that remained was to gradually draw on the Power of Taiyin and Power of Taiyang from the two Supreme Stars. Cultivating them was a matter of patient effort; there was no room for shortcuts.
But Qi Refining could absorb the Heaven and Earth Origin Energy within High-Grade Origin Stones, making it countless times faster than merely gathering Origin Energy through a cultivation technique. If he wanted to improve his strength overnight, this was the only way Zhou Hao could think of.
More importantly, his divine power was contained within the cells of his body, and the Blue Flower in his sea of consciousness didn't seem interested in it. Zhou Hao could only pin his hopes on the Blue Flower Boss taking an interest in the Xiantian True Essence in his body once his Qi Refining reached the Xiantian realm, and refining some Blue Flower Mist from it.
Whoosh~~~~
Inhale~~~~
Whoosh~~~~
As Zhou Hao began breathing in and out according to the first level of the Water Source Sutra, he soon felt a stirring within him.
Gentle streams of inner force began to emerge throughout his limbs and meridians, circulating along the pathways specified by the technique.
Every Qi Refining technique began with "refining essence into qi."
For an ordinary person who had never cultivated before, simply developing a sense of qi and refining the essence in their body into inner force could take days or even months.
But Zhou Hao wasn't ordinary. His body-refinement cultivation had already reached the Xiantian realm, and his body was the perfect form of an Innate God and Devil Body, brimming with vital essence.
The first hurdle of Qi Refining, which tripped up most people, took him only a moment to overcome.
Soon, he had successively mastered the first and second levels of the Water Source Sutra. His inner force filled his meridians and circulated continuously through his body.
The third level of the Water Source Sutra was where he began gathering Heaven and Earth Origin Energy and "drawing qi into the body." This would continuously refine his inner force, transforming it from gas into the purer liquid form of True Essence.
Whoosh~~~~
As Zhou Hao circulated his technique and gathered Heaven and Earth Origin Energy, the air in the quiet room grew increasingly humid.
The Heaven and Earth Origin Energy within the High-Grade Origin Stone in his hand, flowing like vapor, gradually formed a vortex and was drawn into Zhou Hao's body.
Once his inner force had been condensed to the utmost and formed liquid True Essence, he would have mastered the third level of the Water Source Sutra and begun cultivating the fourth.
At that point, Zhou Hao's Qi Refining would also enter the Xiantian realm. His Xiantian True Essence would be capable of being released outside his body, allowing him to activate unranked magic treasures and use various Dao Talismans, formations, and the like.
In front of the Martial Repository.
"Cough, cough, cough~~~"
Lying on the recliner, Master Jingzhi coughed violently, his face pale, yet his gaze remained fixed on the Lunar Star in the sky.
"It's late, and the night air is cold. Why don't you go inside and rest?" a voice suddenly sounded by Master Jingzhi's ear.
His eyes shifted. In the distance, hovering in midair, stood a long-haired man in a blue robe who had appeared without warning.
The blue-robed man's long hair fluttered in the breeze. He was handsome and looked no older than twenty, yet his eyes held the weathered look of a middle-aged man.
"With a moon this beautiful, how could I see it from indoors?" Master Jingzhi's lips curled. "But what about you? You're the dignified city lord of Jade Dragon City, True Person Muxuan of the Myriad Phenomena realm. You return to Jade Dragon City and don't even handle official business—you come here first. Got nothing better to do?"
"Is visiting my younger brother what you'd call having nothing better to do?"
True Person Muxuan looked at Master Jingzhi's pale, even ashen face, and a flicker of pain crossed his eyes.
Flash!
A beam of light streaked past, and a jade bottle suddenly appeared on the stone table beside the recliner.
"I just bought this Nine-Leaf Lingzhi Pill at Tianbao Mountain. Its medicinal power is very mild. Even... even a mortal could bear it."
True Person Muxuan paused. Seeing no reaction from Master Jingzhi, he continued, "It can't extend your lifespan, but at least it can help you live to the end of a mortal's natural life..."
"Don't waste Origin Liquid on me. What would a few more years matter?" Master Jingzhi shook his head. "When Junior Sister Yueying died, I went with her."
True Person Muxuan fell silent. For a moment, the pretty young woman who had loved gathering her fellow disciples to give them lessons seemed to appear before him again.
She had also loved moonlight most of all.
"By the way." A faint smile appeared on Master Jingzhi's face. "I met someone interesting today."
"Interesting?" True Person Muxuan was taken aback.
"He listened to me talk for an entire day." Master Jingzhi's smile widened.
Back then, he alone had been willing to listen to Junior Sister Yueying's lessons all day long. Later, though, he had become the one giving lessons to others.
Perhaps only now could he feel a little of the happiness his junior sister had once known.
"That's all?" True Person Muxuan asked. "What's his name?"
"Zhou Hao. A young fellow who's cultivated the Chiming Nine Heavens Map to the fourth level but has never practiced Qi Refining."
Bang!
With another muffled thud, the Heaven and Earth Origin Energy within the High-Grade Origin Stone in Zhou Hao's hand ran dry. The jade stone crumbled into a pile of powder that slipped through his fingers.
"Fourth level of the Water Source Sutra. Qi Refining has reached the Xiantian Lifeform realm." Zhou Hao waved his hand, and his True Essence formed a gust of wind that blew the Origin Stone powder aside.
By now, all the inner force in his body had condensed into droplets of Xiantian True Essence.
When an ordinary Post-Heaven Qi Refining cultivator broke through to the Xiantian realm, the Xiantian True Essence circulated through their meridians and gradually cleansed their bones, flesh, and skin, making their body light and nimble. In this way, they shed their mortal form and became a true Xiantian Lifeform.
But this was actually the weakest kind of Xiantian Lifeform. A single sword through the heart could kill them, making them far inferior to the powerful God and Devil Body formed when a God-Devil Body Refining cultivator broke through.
That was why body refiners at the same level could crush Qi Refiners.
Zhou Hao's entire body had been nurtured by the true fire and true water descended by the Lunar Star and Solar Star, becoming the body of an innate god and devil. He had been spared that step.
"If only I had more High-Grade Origin Stones, or even some Origin Liquid." Zhou Hao sighed inwardly. "Otherwise, breaking through to the Purple Mansion realm in a single night might not even be impossible."
What did it take to cultivate and grow stronger?
A powerful soul! A high level of insight! A cultivation technique! Heaven and Earth Origin Energy! Not one could be missing!
This was even more true for cultivators of the Qi Refining Path.
First came the soul.
According to Master Jingzhi, as the soul grew stronger, all kinds of phenomena would appear.
An ordinary Purple Mansion Cultivator could focus on several things at once!
An ordinary Myriad Phenomena True Person could manifest divine sense!
A Primordial Spirit Daoist could open the Heavenly Eye and manifest spiritual awareness!
Zhou Hao had cultivated a Visualization Technique since childhood, and his soul had already developed divine sense. It was as powerful as that of a Myriad Phenomena True Person. At least until he reached the Primordial Spirit realm, he wouldn't need to worry about his soul.
Next came one's level of insight.
According to Master Jingzhi, the Heavenly Dao was elusive, and it was hard to comprehend even the slightest part of it. The only way to seek the Dao was to practice various skills. As one grew more proficient, one could attune to Heaven and Earth and enter the Dao through skill.
Therefore, one's level of insight referred to their progress in the mastery of various skills.
Swordsmanship, saber techniques, staff techniques, boxing, movement techniques, calligraphy, painting, playing the zither—any skill, when practiced to its highest level, could lead to the Dao.
The levels of mastery were divided as follows.
The first level was the basics: becoming familiar with a skill.
The second level was the Subtle Realm, where one's control of the skill approached perfection.
The third level was Unity of Heaven and Man, signifying that one's skill had nearly reached the Dao. One could attune to Heaven's intent and draw on the power of Heaven and Earth through skill alone.
After reaching Unity of Heaven and Man, one could unite one's heart with Heaven and begin to comprehend the mysteries of Heaven and Earth, gradually discovering the "Dao" within them.
When a cultivator gained some insight, they could be said to have comprehended a sliver of the True Meaning of the Dao. This was the fourth level.
Comprehending the True Meaning of the Dao was difficult. Even some Purple Mansion Cultivators couldn't do it; most remained at the third level, Unity of Heaven and Man.
Above that were the fifth level, the Domain Realm of the Dao, and the sixth level, "fully comprehending a Dao." These were profound realms attained only by Primordial Spirit Daoists and even Earth Immortals of the Void Return.
Earlier, Zhou Hao had entered a state of enlightenment, free from thought and desire, with the help of the Blue Flower Mist. He had already comprehended a sliver of the True Meaning of the Dao for both Blazing Flame and Flowing Water.
His level of insight was now so high that a rudimentary outer-sect Qi Refining technique from the Jade Dragon Sect, such as the Water Source Sutra, posed no bottleneck at all.
His soul was strong enough, his level of insight was high enough, and he had no shortage of cultivation techniques. But what he lacked now was the thing that seemed least remarkable of all: Heaven and Earth Origin Energy.
Heaven and Earth Origin Energy in this world was boundless. Even ordinary mortals who knew nothing of cultivation could become stronger and healthier simply by breathing over the years, their bodies far better than those of people on Earth in his previous life.
But when it came to cultivation, gathering Heaven and Earth Origin Energy on one's own was far too slow.
Just to go from the early Xiantian realm to its peak would take years of hard work, even with Zhou Hao's perfect Innate God and Devil Body.
And to break through the Xiantian Lifeform realm and open a Purple Mansion in one's dantian required a vast amount of pure Heaven and Earth Origin Energy.
The Heaven and Earth Origin Energy in High-Grade Origin Stones was already extremely pure and placed very little strain on the body, but it was still far inferior to Origin Liquid.
Origin Liquid was Heaven and Earth Origin Energy refined to its utmost essence. It placed no strain on the body and could be completely refined and absorbed in a single burst over a short time.
"I don't need much. Even a few pounds of Origin Liquid would be enough."
Zhou Hao knew he was daydreaming.
Origin Stones were mined from naturally formed veins, but Origin Liquid was produced by powerful cultivators. At the very least, a cultivator on the level of a Primordial Spirit Daoist had to set up an Origin-Gathering Formation, neglect their own cultivation, expend their mental energy, and condense Heaven and Earth Origin Energy before Origin Liquid could be formed.
Neglecting one's cultivation and expending mental energy was clearly not worth it for a Primordial Spirit Daoist.
Usually, only major sects and great clans, with plenty of Primordial Spirit Daoists, Earth Immortals, and Loose Immortals trapped at bottlenecks and unable to advance, would go to such lengths.
So Origin Liquid was naturally monopolized by those major sects and great clans.
At least, there was no point thinking about it for now.
"Let's see if the Blue Flower Boss in my sea of consciousness is willing to consume Xiantian True Essence."
Zhou Hao had a thought, and the True Essence in his body flowed toward the Mud Pill Palace where his sea of consciousness lay.
It was said that body refiners at the same level could crush Qi Refiners, but that was when neither side used magic treasures or other treasures.
The two paths of cultivation each had their strengths. At least compared to divine power, Xiantian True Essence was much more obedient.
"Huh, looks like it can!"
These past two days, the female lead at home had come down with a fever. Suifeng had suddenly found himself looking after one adult and one child, while also going to work and writing. He was truly at his wit's end.
Perhaps the warmest moment was when he saw the names of old friends appear in his author dashboard.
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